Shelf life of ammo?

[acolytes]

Hey guys, I have a few hundred 7.63x39 rounds still sitting around from 1994 and was wondering if there is a shelf life of ammo and if so how long? Thanks.

[Quiet]

Properly stored modern ammunition will last more than 50 years.

I'm still shooting .30-06 ammo made in the 50s and .30Carbine ammo made in the 70s. Still goes bang, still good enough to use in CMP competitions, no misfires or duds.

[acolytes]

cool, thanks!

[USN CHIEF]

Hey guys, I have a few hundred 7.63x39 rounds still sitting around from 1994 and was wondering if there is a shelf life of ammo and if so how long? Thanks.

You need to shoot more often

[sloguy]

its all gone bad. you should ship it to me for proper disposal.

[acolytes]

lol, I remember I bought the ammo when I got my mak 90, and then i fell out of the gun scene for a while, and all my guns just sat in a dafe and collected dust, but now I'm back! BTW anyone know of any outdoor ranges or deserts (where shooting is legal) in so cal?

[CaptainSpaulding]

In 1997 or 1998 I shot roughly 60 rounds of corrosive, surplus 30-06 ammo from the 1930's through my 1903A3 without a single problem. If memory serves it grouped about as well as any other 30-06 hardball I've put through it.

[Quiet]

BTW anyone know of any outdoor ranges or deserts (where shooting is legal) in so cal?

Lytle Creek near Fontana in San Berdo County.

http://www.lytlecreekrange.com/

[Saigon1965]

Hey guys, I have a few hundred 7.63x39 rounds still sitting around from 1994 and was wondering if there is a shelf life of ammo and if so how long? Thanks.

Rule of thumb if it's before you were born yes, after you were born, still good.

[smle-man]

Rule of thumb if it's before you were born yes, after you were born, still good.

Unless the ammo is French, British from the 50s, or Paki .303 it will still be firing after 100 yrs, assuming it has been stored in a cool dry environment. I've had French ball from the 60s and early 70s going click-bang.

[avidone]

I've heard of French balls misfiring as well.....

[moulton]

I have shot 1950's polish 7.62x54r in my Mosin and it went bang every time

[doughboy334]

I asked someone this question before and they said as long as it's in under fair storage (room temp), it should work

[mymonkeyman]

Unless the ammo is French, British from the 50s, or Paki .303 it will still be firing after 100 yrs, assuming it has been stored in a cool dry environment. I've had French ball from the 60s and early 70s going click-bang.

What's wrong with Pakistani .303?

[Mssr. Eleganté]

What's wrong with Pakistani .303?

Most of the Pakistani .303 surplus that has been on the market for the past few years has issues with hangfires. This is the stuff from the mid 1960's from Pakistan Ordnance Factories (P.O.F.).

The primers are going bad, so there is a fraction of a second delay in between the stiker hitting the primer and the primer going off. The problem isn't as bad if the weather is warm though.